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So, some clear marking out is called for here; generally the slope of the dovetails is represented by a gradient of 1:8 for hardwood and 1:6 or 7 for a softwood. The sliding bevel is used to mark this line after the tails have been set out along a gauged line to fit the width of the board to their most pleasing arrangement.

The dovetails are then cut with a small saw (rip-set teeth if possible) before transferring their profiles to the other part of the joint, in this case, the drawer fronts (see next post).

 2 pairs of drawer sides, sliding bevel and dovetail saw

When you have access to a few tools and a basic knowledge of woodworking, there’s generally a job around that needs doing. This particular one is a pair of little drawers to replace the missing originals in a 3-piece dressing table mirror frame.

The drawers are going to be dovetailed (as it’s for a family member), and the first step is to cut and plane the drawer components to a nice fit – not too tight, not too loose. I’m using some Poplar here as it was ready to hand and my experiments showed it would take a stain to match the carcass.

The next step is all about precision marking out, but if you’d like to learn more about dovetails, there’s still a couple of places left on the Dovetail Box course starting in September. More on this project very soon..

Well, things are showing signs of coming together, and this brief message is to bring news of the imminent arrival of a new block of classes for the autumn months. It won’t be long now!

Things are finally moving on the website development, it won’t be long now before it’s possible to order online in something approaching a slick and efficient process…

The first class will be a half-day introductory /taster on Saturday the 25th March, 10:00am to 1:00pm. All welcome